Chapter 3

Elara barely slept.

She lay curled up in her small cabin bed, her soft, curvy body trembling under the thin blanket. The mate bond now felt heavier, a constant, throbbing reminder that she was officially Luna. Not because Kai wanted her, but because he had to accept her. The memory of his cold words replayed endlessly: “I don’t love you… I will protect you. That’s all I can give.”

Fresh tears soaked her pillow. His pity hurt worse than outright rejection. At least rejection would have let her hide in the shadows, continue her quiet life as the overlooked healer. This forced her into the spotlight as a burden the Alpha was reluctantly shouldering. Every wolf in the pack would know she was the pity Luna the one their leader was stuck with out of duty to the Goddess.

Her full breasts ached with tension, her rounded belly felt too soft and heavy against her thighs, and her thick thighs pressed together as she hugged herself tightly. 

How can I stand beside him like this? she thought, as fresh wave of shame washing over her. Everyone will see how unworthy I am. How my body jiggles when I walk, how my dress stretches across my stomach, how I’ll never be the strong, sleek Luna they expect.

Sleep finally claimed her in minutes later but then she was haunted by dreams of Kai’s disappointed face and the pack’s mocking laughter.

Morning came quickly. She dragged herself out of bed, eyes swollen and red, her movements sluggish. The simple dress she pulled on clung unforgivingly to every generous curve, reminding her of her place. She made her way to the Healing House on heavy legs, each step feeling like a walk toward further humiliation.

The moment she stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted. Conversations were made quietly as heads turned.

Lila was already there, leaning casually against a table with two of her warrior friends. Her sharp gaze raked slowly over Elara’s body, taking in the way the fabric stretched across her full breasts and the soft swell of her belly.

“Well, well,” Lila sneered, her voice carrying through the room. “The pity Luna. The whole pack is talking about how Alpha Kai was forced to accept you last night out of duty. How does it feel knowing your mate doesn’t even want you? That he’s only keeping you because the Goddess forced his hand?”

The words landed like physical blows. Elara’s shoulders curled inward protectively. She wrapped her arms around her soft middle, feeling the fabric stretch taut across her belly. Tears welled up immediately, hot and stinging. “Please… just leave me alone,” she whispered, her voice shaking badly. “I didn’t ask for this. I never wanted to be Luna.”

Lila laughed cruelly, the sound echoing off the wooden beams. “Look at her — already crying like a pup. How is this supposed to be our Luna? She’ll embarrass Alpha Kai in front of every rival pack. One look at those fat thighs and they’ll think our Alpha is weak.”

A few patients waiting for treatment glanced at Elara with pity in their eyes. An elderly woman reached out and patted her hand gently. “You have a kind heart, dear. That counts for something.” But the kindness only made Elara feel more pathetic, more broken. Even sympathy felt like confirmation that she was pitiable.

She tried to focus on work, grinding herbs with trembling hands. The mortar and pestle felt heavier than usual. When she moved to treat a warrior’s infected wound, the faint silvery glow appeared again under her fingertips. The injury began to heal faster than normal, the edges knitting together cleanly. The warrior murmured a quiet thanks, but Elara could barely acknowledge it through the thick fog of shame clouding her mind.

Even my gift feels useless now, she thought bitterly. I’m just… a responsibility and a burden Kai has to tolerate.

Hours passed by slowly me. Every whisper, every sideways glance, every stifled giggle reminded her of her new, unwanted reality. She was a Luna now yet still the chubby healer everyone mocked behind her back. The title brought no respect, only more ridicule.

Near midday, Beta Jax entered the Healing House. His expression was carefully neutral, almost sympathetic. “Luna Elara,” he said formally, the title sounding like a cruel joke on his tongue. “Alpha Kai sent me. He’s arranged for your things to be moved to the Alpha’s residence today. He… wants you settled by evening.”

Elara’s heart clenched painfully as more tears watered her eyes to spill. He can’t even come himself.

 The thought made her feel even smaller. She nodded weakly, too drained and emotionally exhausted to argue. “I understand,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

As Jax left, she overheard voices drifting from the back room where the elders sometimes gathered with visiting warriors. Kai’s deep, frustrated voice sounded clearly through the thin walls.

“…I accepted her to avoid weakening the pack bond. The Goddess’s choice can’t be ignored again but she’s soft and vulnerable. I don’t know how she’ll handle being Luna when she has no fighting experience, no presence…”

The words shattered what little remained of Elara’s composure. She pressed a hand to her mouth to stop a sob and slipped out the back door into the quiet herb garden, desperate for air and solitude.

There, she hid among the tall plants and flowering bushes, she allowed herself to break down fully. Sobs cracked her generous frame as she knelt on the soft earth, her thick thighs folding beneath her. Her soft belly pressed against her legs as she curled inward, crying until her throat burned and her eyes felt raw.

He pities me. Everyone pities me. I’m nothing but a burden he’s forced to carry. The thoughts looped endlessly. My body is too much , too slow, how can someone like me ever be worthy of an Alpha?

While wiping her tear-streaked face with trembling fingers, her hand brushed against something odd half-buried near the tree line. A scrap of dark fabric, stiff with dried blood. She brought it closer, sniffing cautiously. The scent was wrong, bitter, metallic, carrying traces of unfamiliar wolves. 

It was the Shadowfang pack.

Her pulse quickened with fear, but the bond tugged painfully in her chest, as if Kai’s wolf sensed her distress even from afar. For a fleeting moment, she considered calling for him. But the memory of his cold acceptance stopped her. She tucked the fabric into her pouch with shaking hands.

She was his Luna now though in name only. She would have to survive this new humiliation on her own.

As she pushed herself up on trembling legs, the faint silvery glow returned to her hands once more, warmer and steadier than before. But Elara barely noticed it through the haze of her tears.

How long can I live like this? she wondered, the question heavy in her heart. How long before he regrets accepting me completely?